Veteran sports writer Jim Utter covers NASCAR for The Charlotte Observer and its racing site, ThatsRacin.com. In this space, Jim writes about all things NASCAR and other forms of racing which may also be relevant ... or not.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Hamlin suffers fractured vertebra, may miss races

FONTANA, Calif. – NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin
has been diagnosed with a fracture of his L1 vertebra which may require surgery
and force him to miss time from the Sprint Cup Series this season.

Hamlin was expected to be released from Loma
Linda University Hospital sometime on Monday to begin his return plane flight
home to North Carolina.

Hamlin was transported to the hospital
following a hard wreck on the last lap of Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club
Speedway in which he slammed into a retaining wall that was not covered by
energy-absorbing SAFER barriers.

He remained in the hospital Sunday night for
further observation.

Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed Hamlin’s back
injury in a statement released Monday.

“He will be evaluated by Dr. Jerry Petty of
Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates later this week,” the statement
said.

Earlier Monday, Hamlin posted a simple
message on his Twitter account – his first since Sunday’s race. It read, “I
just want to go home.”

While the JGR statement did not address the
prognosis of Hamlin’s recovery, sources close to the team said two options have
been discussed – surgery and the wearing of a back brace to help in healing.

Hamlin already has a history of lower back
pain.

Both options could require Hamlin to miss
time in his No. 11 Toyota, sources said. The Cup series is off this weekend for
the Easter holiday and returns to action April 7 at Martinsville, Va.

According to the BACK Center – which specializes
in back pain and spine surgery – the most common treatments are pain
medications, decreasing activity and bracing. There are also new neurological
procedures being used.

Vertebral fractures usually take at least
three months to fully heal, according to the center.